Well, I am supposed to be working on my Graduate Thesis for my MFA, and I tried to tie this in with the ongoing Challenge "Journey Begins" with mixed success ~ I think I'm going to have to exit the Challenge at this point so that I can really start to play more liberally with the concepts that the Challenge motivated me to generate. So, here is what I have so far. I plan to make these much more of mixed media pieces, likely tying in scans of objects / photographs / drawings, and more digital and maybe some traditional painting. We'll see where this goes.

hi there ms.k lots of great concepts here (i like the 1st image on post 6 and 1st image on post 2) i'm curious what the thesis requires you to make, a series of illustrations maybe? glad you made this thread, this is sure to be interesting and informative. :)

Zapan

03-24-2006, 09:46 PM

So that's what this was all about :rolleyes:

Anyway , it's also a great thing to see all your ideas gathered in this thread ...
btw see ? I'm still spying your forum ... :)

So does it means you're going to end up your challenge or do you plan another thing into it ?

Thanks a lot! :) Well, for my thesis, I more or less plan to make a series of diptychs or triptychs, totalling around 9 pieces depending. These should be large format, printable pieces to hang in an exhibition at my school which will more or less be my thesis. I really want to push these pieces a lot further in terms of mixed media, maybe adding a bit of subtle 3D, not totally sure yet. :) I look forward to working on it though, as really there aren't any rules, and I can just sort of play with some ideas that have been kicking around in the back of my head for a long time. Thanks for commenting here, it will be a lot more fun to work on this with input from the community! :)

Steph,

LOL, yeah, I guess my project is out of the closet now :D although I did mention somewhere on the thread about tying this into my thesis, but who knows where, lol. :D

I think the Challenge is putting more of a framework on the work I want to do than I need, so I may be dropping out of the Challenge, though if I come up with something decent here before the Challenge ends, I may just keep updating both threads (I hope that's okay). :) Thanks for chearing Steph! :)

Chears,

~Rebeccak / "Beckie"

pushav

03-24-2006, 10:04 PM

This was the direction in which I was originally going, but decided I didn't like the sketch...I may come back to it though, and try to give it more of a realistic look.

Thanks, pushav. :) It's funny, but others like this one too, though I think it needs serious retweaking. The next step I suppose is finding / putting together reference from existing sources. :)

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

SpiritDreamer

03-25-2006, 06:21 AM

:wavey: Hi ....Rebecca...:)

You know that there are no rules that can't be broken, except the SELFimposed one's
that you put upon your SELF
Sometimes the minds eye or for lack of a better word ... imagination ... can see and capture visions more clearly, than can be seen and captured from what is simply the illusion of what is percieved as real.

Visions from within, can sometimes be a lot more powerful than
visions created from the outside.

Seems to me that your painting of the woman in the tub, would lose some of it's power and
the emotion it creates, if you where to render it in a realistic manner.
The same thing applies to a lot of your other works.

Kind of like the Michelangelo statues that are just started, but are more powerful than
some of his completed works, because they capture what is within the stone, and
the artist.
Sometimes dreams can be more powerfull than what is percieved as real life...
MAYBE NOT AS CLEAR ...BUT STILL MORE POWERFULL

IS LIFE THE DREAM OR IS THE DREAM LIFE
IS REALITY THE ILLUSION OR IS THE ILLUSION REALITY

Just throwing some thoughts your way......might help you....might not...just thoughts..:)

TAKE CARE....AND I REALLY LIKE THE DREAM QUALITY OF YOUR PAINTINGS
YOUR ... ACE IN THE HOLE....just my opinion though.:thumbsup:

Glenn

Mu

04-02-2006, 12:06 AM

I don't know what an MFA exactly is, but seeing you compiling stuff for your degree will be very exciting.

Ego

04-02-2006, 03:41 AM

Ok, so this is where its gonna be at from now on? I'll take a better look after I finish some light work. Just subscribing so I can keep up with it. Cheers girl!

warpy

04-02-2006, 04:03 PM

rebecca,

can you tell us a bit about an art thesis, or your thesis for that matter, what do you need to do for it, what does it involve beyoned the art itself. sounds interesting so please elaborate a lot :P

good job so far. keep it up.

walrus

04-11-2006, 06:34 PM

Hey, Rebecca!
Post #3, with the 2 figures back to back, is really intriguing. It features "full bodies," (i.e. not floating parts) and yet the negative space on that one is doing something really interesting with how it interactis with the bodies, especially the right one. And I think of full figure anatomy as a big strength of yours, and that piece gives you a change to show that off moreso than others that are comprised more of heads and faces. I find the b/w pieces more moody and interesting than the one color one you've posted so far... but I look forward to seeing more.

Anyhow, good luck with your thesis and all - I'm sure we'll see lots more as it progresses! :)

-mike

Rebeccak

04-11-2006, 06:50 PM

Mike,

Thanks a lot for the feedback! I really need to get back to these pieces if I am ever to graduate :D ~ and I really appreciate the encouragement. :) I agree with you, post #3 is striking a chord with me more so than with the disembodied pieces ~ maybe I'll throw out a few more concepts, and then try to go the distance with just a few.

Thanks for stopping by here! :wavey:

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

aggie93

04-13-2006, 01:57 PM

Great work going here Reb. I look forward to seeing more of your research.

depleteD

04-17-2006, 12:06 AM

AH this is really cool. I hope u can publish your thesis on this thread. Really looking forward to what u will produce.

I'm just about done my joke of a BFA (my program teaches technology and not art siiiiiigh). I've been considering getting my masters, maybe in digital painting? What should I look for in a masters program? Whats a good school that offers a masters degree? Can I take one from home?

Is it possible to achieve a phD in art?

Thanks,
ANdrew

Rebeccak

04-17-2006, 05:11 AM

aggie93,

Thanks a lot! I'm sorry I'm not very good about replying to my own threads ~ lol. :D

Originally posted by Andrew: AH this is really cool. I hope u can publish your thesis on this thread. Really looking forward to what u will produce.
Thanks Andrew! I appreciate your comments here. :)

I'm just about done my joke of a BFA (my program teaches technology and not art siiiiiigh). I've been considering getting my masters, maybe in digital painting? What should I look for in a masters program? Whats a good school that offers a masters degree? Can I take one from home?
Hmm, I would say it just depends on what you are interested in ultimately doing. If you feel that your BFA has been a joke and not taught you the traditional skills you wanted, perhaps you might consider looking into a more traditionally oriented school. I don't know of programs personally focused specifically on digital painting, though there are certainly courses out there ~ Bobby Chiu teaches extension classes at Sheridan in Canada, Don Seegmiller teaches digital painting at Brigham Young University in Utah. Additionally the CGWorkshops will probably be offering more digital painting classes in the future. There are tons of schools out there ~ what countries are you looking at primarily? Would you consider going to school in the US?

Is it possible to achieve a phD in art?
Not in art practice, but in Art History you can, or Art Education. The terminal degree for a practicing artist is either an MA or an MFA ~ my recommendation is to go with an MFA, as an MA will not allow you to teach at the college level, which is really the major purpose of going for an MFA.

Let me know what kinds of things you are interested in, and I will try to give you some pointers if I can.

The best way to find out about schools is to research them online and to visit the ones you are interested in.

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

depleteD

04-17-2006, 06:01 AM

ty rebecca,

Well for me I think a traditional art eductation would be best. A MFA is what I would like to do so I do have that option to teach. I'm not to conceered on the instruction for digital paint. The best thing to get better is prac of course. So extension classes wouldn't work. THe Art Center COllege of Design programs really appeal to me. Especially Entertainment design. does that place offer MFA? I wpi;d probably want to go to school in North America. I'm hopeing to get with a company that will pay for my masters acctually. (Heres hopin')

Bah that sucks that it terminates at MFA, there should be a level of education attainable for art students that is available to math and science witchcraft ect.

-ANdrew

Rebeccak

04-17-2006, 06:19 AM

THe Art Center COllege of Design programs really appeal to me. Especially Entertainment design. does that place offer MFA? I wpi;d probably want to go to school in North America. I'm hopeing to get with a company that will pay for my masters acctually. (Heres hopin')
The Entertainment Design program is getting better from what I hear. (But it's undergrad, and you'd really want to go for one of the disciplines, like Illustration or Product Design, to REALLY get the hardcore skills, and take Entertainment classes to supplement ~ this would be for the UNDERGRADUATE program). The Master's programs there are a bit odd. Their main Master's program is centered on web design / and is kind of conceptual ~ not traditionally based AT ALL. SUPPOSEDLY you can get a master's degree there for Illustration, but it's main focus is on it's undergraduate programs. I've never seen nor heard of a Master's Illustration student from Art Center. I frankly think that if you want to teach you are better off getting an MFA from somewhere else. However, if you want to work in the industry, then Art Center is a good choice for a second BFA. It's kind of a double edged sword with ACCD. It's still one of the best "skills" schools in the world, but not in terms of an MFA program, which I HIGHLY recommend going into instead, as you will NOT be able to teach at the college level without an MFA.

There are lots of good traditionally focused schools in the US ~ do you have an interest in any particular geographic region?

Off the top of my head:

Boston University ~ terrific undergraduate program ~ traditional painting and sculpture ~ but their MFA program is more conceptually based.

Schools in New York seem traditionally focused:

Pratt, School of Visual Arts, New York Academy of Figurative Art, Art Student's League

Oddly enough, there are lots of good schools in OHIO. But...it's Ohio.

RISD, Ringling, Savannah College of Art and Design seem to have good programs.

You should consider if a school has a good traditional AND digital program, if both are important to you.

While mainly focused on prospective undergraduate freshmen, you can set up an appt to talk about graduate programs. Portfolio Days are the fastest way to learn as much about as many schools as possible in one given day. The website should be updated for this / next year's schedule. You basically stand in line with your portfolio and talk to counselors from many different schools. I did this is high school and it was really useful ~ I definitely recommend it.

Bah that sucks that it terminates at MFA, there should be a level of education attainable for art students that is available to math and science witchcraft ect.
Heh, c'est la vie. ;)

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

depleteD

04-17-2006, 06:51 AM

Ty for all your insight here.

Working in the industry is like my top priority right now. Gotta get that job, I want to end up in hollywood doing concept art and eventually designing the look of movies. And do VFX of course. Love that 3D. So this might be something I should look at closer.

There are lots of good traditionally focused schools in the US ~ do you have an interest in any particular geographic region?

Nope. :)

Boston University ~ terrific undergraduate program ~ traditional painting and sculpture ~ but their MFA program is more conceptually based

This appeals to me, I would be really interested in sculpture, but its like those damn conceptualists. Grrr. THe 2 art classes that I recieved in my BFA the profs were all conceptualists from NSCAD in Nova Scotia. My opinion of conceptualists is they lean on philosphy to compensate for their lack of talent. That comment might be a bit close minded but damn....

If there was a masters program that was all about, "hey lets make beautiful sculptures( or paintings I guess) like the old school masters did". I'd be their.

Thanks for those recommendations for schools.

Digital vs Analouge isn't really problem with me. Traditional only helps digital. Digital is just learning a paintbrush that has more buttons and doesnt make a damn MESS!

That portfolio thing is deffinatley something I should check out.

Thanks alot Rebecca, hopefully I find something that suits me.

-ANdrew

Rebeccak

04-17-2006, 03:27 PM

Andrew,

No problem. If you want to work as a concept artist, Art Center is a good choice. Just bear in mind the price tag, which will run over 35 K per year (US) not including living expenses and the fact that a Master's will likely be out of the question ~ but for the money and time, I say go for a program that will give you both skills and MFA. May be a hard combination to find.